With the ever growing scientific, medical, and psychological research and subsequent consensus that breastfeeding and co-sleeping may be the most effective methods of providing both nourishment as well as security and parental bonding for infants, the need continues to grow for a method and design which can allow a simple, safe, convenient, and cost effective device to accommodate and encourage this natural mothering arrangement. A huge gap exists between all the various methods/devices presently on the market and one that is not only easily manufactured, yet meets all the other genuine requisites to encourage and facilitate a simple and extremely convenient co-sleeping process. Past attempts have been shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,148,561 to Tharalson et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,172,435 to Griffin et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,819,340 to Kelly, U.S. Pat. No. 6,546,575 to DeAngelo, U.S. Pat. No. 6,550,082 to Tharalson et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,862,757 to Andriunas et al., US Pub. No. US2007/0006808 to Scatchard et al., U.S. Pat. No. 7,013,505 to Martin, and U.S. Pat. No. 7,415,739 to Tharalson et al., each hereby incorporated by reference herein. The needed method/device should first and foremost provide a safe environment for the sleeping infant, alleviating many of the most common pitfalls, whether based on fact or myth, of accidental parental harm. Immediately after that, a device, should be both functional and convenient. This convenience should be met at all times and during all stages of use, beginning at initial assembly, definitely during use, and perhaps even extending all the way through storage concerns, which may constitute times between as well as after both short term and long term (e.g., between siblings or even generations of offspring) intervals. Key factors of this convenience may include mother/infant proximity, user friendly operations, and even simple and efficient storage.
Benefits to co-sleeping and breastfeeding include not only exceptional nutritional, immunologic, psychological, social, and emotional development for an infant, but overall physical, psychological, economic, environmental, and emotional benefits for the mother as well. Physically, the benefits may facilitate an earlier return to normal sleep patterns and pre-pregnancy weight for the mother. Psychologically, they may relieve a mother of separation anxiety caused by various newborn safety risks. Economically and environmentally, they may be the most efficient and natural forms of feeding any baby. And emotionally, they may help reduce the severity or chance of postpartum anxiety issues. Together, studies show that an infant in close proximity to its mother may regulate heartbeat and perhaps even breathing more effectively, possibly reducing the risk of SIDS. From what we know from scientific research alone about the health benefits received by an infant nourished by breast milk vs. artificial formulas, this form of natural mothering is by far the healthiest arrangement.
Overall safety may be of utmost importance when using any product used in connection with a newborn. Most products on the market may include complicated and unreliable collapsible hinges, clips, and perhaps even latches. Vast amounts of government regulation effort is spent on many of these product recalls, with replacement costs, liability costs, and environmental waste caused by both consumer product replacement manufacturing and even disposal issues being astronomical. None of the past basket stands provide adequate tipping stability while being utilized where pets and other young children might be present.
Nothing could be of closer and accessible proximity as directly beside a nursing mother at or close to the same vertical level as her own sleeping platform. For daytime napping, the parent's bedroom may generally be the most secluded and quiet environment in the house. While in the past, a bassinet style stand or a Moses basket used with a basket stand combination may allow a co-sleeper proximate to a bedside; however one of the main problems that plagues these types of methods/devices may be their inability to match the elevation height to convenient levels relative to the nursing mother's varying mattress thickness and subsequent bed heights. While trying to circumvent this design problem, they may require the purchase of additional expensive, unreliable, and perhaps even clumsy stand leg extensions. Still other devices in the past, such as those discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,165,130 to Wendling, U.S. Pat. No. 6,536,057 to Fennell et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 7,086,101 to Welch et al., each hereby incorporated by reference herein, may provide a wonderful co-sleeping arrangement directly on the parent's bed while still protecting the infant. Though very safe and close, these devices may not allow a disturbance barrier for either the infant or the adults. Throughout the night, movement from an adult transitioning into or out of bed as well as simply repositioning once in bed, can cause enough movement to disturb a sleeping infant. The same goes for a repositioning infant near light sleeping adults. Both disturbance and health issues may be relevant to owners of pets who desire to co-sleep with them for security and bonding reasons as well. Recent studies warn pet owners about the adverse health risks of sharing such intimate sleeping arrangements with an animal.
Initial assembly and disassembly of any device should be simple and easily accomplished perhaps by any adult even using simple tools. Single handed operation should be possible during all facets of use, since most mothers may be holding an infant or sleeping receptacle or both with one or even both hands. Having the ability for an eager child to help with everyday use and intermediate storage could also be a benefit. The past devices may not provide these features.
Lastly, past attempts at co-sleeping arrangements may constantly take up space, perhaps both during use, between everyday use, between intervals of babies, and even long term intervals such as between generations of offspring. During use, many past devices may take up sometimes valuable floor space in high traffic areas around a confined bedroom. Even when not being used, the past devices may continue to take up the same space even though physically moveable to another area of the room or house. Either way, they constantly remain in view, being both a physical as well as aesthetic nuisance. After an infant may be old enough to transition to a full sized crib or even into its own room, devices in the past may need to be either disassembled or stored in their bulky configuration until the need arises for use with perhaps another child. Many times, this moving, disassembly, and storage may result in damage and wear to the past products, preventing them from remaining useful throughout multiple generations. It may be desirable then to provide an heirloom quality product perhaps made from solid hardwood with perhaps even literally no moving parts, yet either collapsible or easily disassembled into a very concise and damage free configuration which could be used indefinitely.